Undertale: Chronicle - 4 - Soulless
by TheOriginalTale
Summary: Emotions. They control our every action. So, what happens when emotions become non-existent? Another chapter in the Undertale: Chronicle AU.
1. Consciousness

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**I do apologize, I realize this chapter is shorter than normal. This will unfortunately be a quite common theme with some stories. It's one of those binds between making it a bit short, or making it extra-long. Now, if you really want me to make the chapters fewer yet longer, I can certainly attempt to see what I can do. But for now though, here's the first chapter of Soulless.**

* * *

Fear. Darkness. Drowning. The prince shivered as he floated alone in the endless expanse of black, a vast sea of empty void that continued to pull him down. Something was wrong. He knew there was. When one dies, one of two things happened. You would either go to paradise, or go down to horrors truly unimaginable. But he was nowhere. How long had it been? Hours? Days? Weeks? He had lost track of time. Did time exist in this forsaken place?

Another thought. Perhaps this was that sinister place. He was drowning. He feared for what would come next. Maybe he was doomed to stay here for an eternity, though he didn't know why. He had stopped her from doing what she wanted. He had saved so many lives. But maybe it was only thoughts and not actions that determined his ultimate destination. He tried to swim for the surface of the void, only to be dragged down.

Then, he heard a voice, faint but getting closer. "Hey, G! You're going to want to get in here!" Asriel gasped as blinding pain shot through him, as if he was being pulled into something that weighed him down. When he opened his eyes he saw a white lab coat disappear from a door, letting it slam shut behind the figure. He immediately recognized Gaster's voice.

"Run and get Doctor Alphys, Sans, and also bring back one of the meals we prepared!" While the conversation continued outside, the prince looked around the room. Concrete walls enclosed him, and he found himself sitting in a flower pot on a desk. He immediately frowned. A flower pot? He quickly looked down, and panic began to flood his senses. Instead of the white furry body he expected to find, there was nothing but a flower stem. He managed to see his reflection in a coffee mug sitting on the desk, and his mouth dropped open at the sight that greeted him.

He jerked at the realization, not realizing how close the pot was to the edge of the table. He yelped as he fell, the pot shattering with dirt strewn across the floor. Grunting, Asriel managed to pull himself up with his face, sitting back upright in the dirt. He shook his head as he regained his sense of direction. Being in his current...physical state was quite disorientating.

He immediately thought of Dad. He was the wisest monster there was! If anybody could fix this, it would be him. But, how would he get there? He didn't have legs anymore. He looked down at his stem, sitting in the dirt. "_Well...insects burrow into the ground...flowers sprout from the ground...maybe I can burrow?"_ He tested his theory by smacking his head against the dirt with all his might. To his surprise, it succeeded. He found himself quickly burrowing through a small crack he found in the floor, out of the room.

* * *

The next hours were filled with trial and error as he desperately tried to find a way back to the palace. Admittedly he was never sure where he would have popped out originally, but in the middle of Hotland was the last of his expectations. Finally, after nearly four hours, he found what he was looking for, sprouting up just inside the Throne Room amidst the other golden flowers. He didn't know where Asgore was, so here he would have to wait.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before the familiar humming grew closer. He looked up as Asgore entered, armed with a watering can. Asriel noticed he didn't really look sad. Didn't he miss him? He shook his head, remembering why he was here.

"D-Dad!"

Asgore looked around. "Hmm?"

Asriel cried out again. "Down here! It's me, Asriel!"

Asgore looked down, his eyes settling on his floral form. The watering can dropped to the ground, spilling out over the flowerbed. Asgore dropped to his knees, mouth open. He shook his head, a tear in his eyes as he reached a hand out, gently touching one of Asriel's petals.

"What...h...h-how? How did this happen?"

Asriel whimpered. "I-I don't know! I-I-I just...w-woke up t-this way!"

Asgore was still shaking his head, hardly able to believe his eyes. "B...But...you're alive! You're...here!"

Asriel nodded. "Y-Yeah…Where's Mommy?"

He looked up as Asgore turned his head away. "She's...uh...not here at the moment."

Asriel tried to look him in the eye. "Will she be back soon? I...I want to see her again."

Asgore was silent for an uncomfortably long time. "Not for a long while yet, I'm afraid. Here, you must be starving. I'll make you some lunch."

He was just leaving, but then stopped when he remembered the flower. He turned around and chuckled.

"Sorry, son, I forgot you're...uh...this way now."

Asriel couldn't help but grin, happy to see a smile on his father's face again. "It's alright, I can wait here."

Asgore grinned. "Alright, I will be back shortly.'

Asriel leaned back as he waited for Asgore to return. He began to realize there was still something different. There was something...missing. He was dragged from his thoughts as Asgore walked back in, a cup of tea in one hand and a plate with a sandwich in the other. He set the plate down in front of him. Asriel leaned over, taking a small bite from the sandwich while Asgore sat down beside him. Asriel up at him.

"Daddy?"

Asgore looked down at him. "Yes, son?"

Asriel blinked. "Mommy isn't going to be coming back...is she…"

Asgore closed his eyes. "...No. She isn't."

Asriel nodded slowly. "What happened?"

The king sighed. "Your mother and I...had a bad argument. She decided she would rather live somewhere else, I'm afraid."

The flower spoke again, surprising even himself at his quick response. "Did I cause it? My death causing your arguments?"

Asgore cleared his throat. "Uh...it was regarding something I did following it."

Asriel tipped his head. "What did you do?"

Asgore was very quiet, and it took a nudge from Asriel to make him answer. "It doesn't matter right now. Perhaps later I can explain it to you."

Asriel sighed. "Where did she go?"

Asgore shook his head sadly. "I only wish I knew."

Flowey's voice grew quieter. "Do you still...love me?"

Asgore looked shocked. "Why...of course I do!"

Asriel looked down, his voice barely audible. "But...look at what I did. I tried to hurt so many people, and in the end it hurt you and Mommy…"

Asgore's smile vanished, replaced with a serious face. "Asriel, no matter what you do, no matter how bad you are, I will _never_ stop loving you. You are my son. Nothing can ever change that. Do you understand? I do not care what you have done, or what you tried to do...whatever it was. I will never love you any less."

Flowey nodded, guilt beginning to flood him. "Yeah...I understand." But the guilt was not from his actions during _her_ plan. He now knew exactly what the problem was. He didn't love his father back. He was trying to, he had missed him when he was drowning, but now he didn't feel that way anymore. He said nothing, but why? It's not like he cared. Why couldn't he love?

"Can...Can I just be alone for a bit? I need to think."

Asgore nodded solemnly. "Of course. Just let me know if you need anything, alright? We'll figure this out."

Flowey nodded. "Yeah...yeah I guess so."

Asriel left the throne room, leaving Asriel to his thoughts. He returned in an hour to check on him. When he walked in, he slowed his pace. He walked to the throne, nearly falling into it where he began to weep. Asriel was gone.


	2. Mother

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**The following chapters in Soulless are written by LKWayvern, somebody who is working closely with me in developing the Undertale: Chronicle AU. They've got their own AU in progress in a comic form, Eldritchfell. I highly recommend you take a look at it. That's all for now from me!**

* * *

Clawed hands tore open the wrapping paper with ease and dug into the box, lifting out a right-side up heart locket. It dangled from its chair, spinning slightly in the air as warm light gleamed off it.

Asriel beamed. "I love it, Chara!"

She smiled knowingly back. "Have you looked within it, yet?"

He flicked open the locket with his thumb, his eyes fond as he looked down on the picture contained within. The entire Dreemurr family, together and happy. Chara's face hidden behind a bundle of flowers. They always were shy.

He turned to Chara and threw his arms around her. "Thank you!"

"Er- you crafted one for me as well!"

"It still means a lot to me! It's from someone I really care about!"

Chara looked away, still smiling.

"What else did you get?"

Chara looked back across the table, and carefully picked up a knife lying on it. "Dad noticed I was quite taken with his gardening. He kindly informed me that should I wish to learn, he would be pleased to teach me, and that a knife is quite a useful gardening tool… perfect for cutting vines."

"Really? That's great, I know you love flowers!"

Chara nodded. "I do. A shame that those varieties in the Underground are so very… limited."

"What kinds of surface flowers are there again?"

"Oh…" Her eyes drifted up to the ceiling, her expression becoming lost in thought. "Far more than I can recall now… but I do have a particular fondness for wildflowers and weeds. Despite the opinions of others. They are quite hardy which I find quite admirable…"

"What's your favorite flower?"

A slight smile traced their lips. "Golden flowers grew in the village in which I lived… I recall they were seen as such a nuisance, as their seeds would cling to the clothing of all who touched them. But. Despite the adult's best efforts to be rid of them, the flowers always returned. There is something beautiful in its intense determination to thrive, is there now?"

"Heheh, I guess so!" Asriel leaned his chin on his hands. "It's like the monsters! We're Underground and _still_ thriving! And so are you!"

"Heh heh… Indeed."

"And then we'll thrive easier on the surface, right?"

"Indeed… The surface is beautiful, Asriel. I cannot wait to share it with you and our parents…"

* * *

It was taking her too long to find her. _Too long. _

She had left the palace, no one he asked had seen her in ages!

How long had he been gone!? What had happened!? Why had she left?

Why was he alive and Chara still dead?

_Why, why, why!? _

A maelstrom of questions swirled in his head, dragging him down to a dark place. He needed to calm down. He burrowed Underground, seeking out happy memories and nostalgia.

The Ruins. He remembered vacationing there with Mom and Dad when he was… alive. When he felt like himself.

He remembered… finding Chara there.

Maybe he could rediscover some piece of mind. Some little fragments of happy memories.

He burrowed back, all the way to the beginning, and was surprised to find a patch of golden flowers there.

Golden flowers, like- like… he was now…

He felt himself beginning to tremble, his vision blurring with unspilled tears.

That's what they had told everyone, right?

That Chara wanted to see the flowers of their village. That Asriel was going to take them to see them, but they were beyond the barrier.

"But… here they are… ahaha… Hahahaha…!"

All he could do was laugh. It was… It was so _ironic… _

...The pressing question didn't even register in his brain for several minutes.

Why _were_ the golden flowers here? They hadn't been here his last visit. Nor had they populated Dad's garden before… before he died…

...And he hadn't been a golden flower before his death, either…

Had he really been so horrible that he was now _cursed_ with the form of his best friend's false dying wish? Forever haunted by something as constant as his body?

He started to choke- on laughter, on tears, on the air that went into lungs he should no longer have, he didn't _need_ to breathe like a monster anymore, how could he choke?

It was all so… so ridiculous, this is _ridiculous, ridiculous! _

He didn't even realize someone was in his face, blocking the light. She knelt, and yet she still towered over him in his new form. She could easily crush him with her massive clawed paws.

"M-mommy…?"

Her eyes widened, face twisting from concern, to surprise and shock, to confusion. "A-asriel? My son? What has happened?"

She cupped his face between her now-massive paws. Gently, softly.

"I-i don't know, I just woke up like this, a-and-" He drew a steadying breath.

"...It is alright now, my child. You are safe." She closed her eyes. "...This is confusing to both of us, however… it is a miracle you are back."

It wasn't long before they were back in Toriel's cottage, the elder monster doting on the young monster-turned-flower. She even baked her famous butterscotch pie for him, but…

He couldn't dredge up the slightest bit of empathy, or of appreciation. And when he tried, he only became more aware of the aching hollow within him.

What was it? What was the missing piece? Something had to be wrong, he didn't feel like… like _himself_ anymore, there was something running deeper than his strange new body, something cutting to the core of his very being, his very essence.

_Something is wrong. _

_He didn't know what. _

_Is it… _

"Mom?"

"Yes, Asriel?"

"Why did you leave Dad? Why are you… here, in the Ruins instead of in New Home? If you two were arguing… surely it's not so bad you have to move _all the way_ to the other side of the Underground, right?" He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sure he misses you! And everyone in the kingdom, too! They talk like they haven't seen you in months, like…"

Like the day the two royal children had died, the queen had died with them.

Toriel began to frown, a worrying slant appearing around her eyes. She was hesitant in speaking, interweaving her fingers together as she thought. And then finally, she shared her answer.

"Asgore… made a decree which I disagreed with, but… the kingdom enthusiastically supported. He… declared war upon humanity."

"WH-WHAT!?" Asriel felt something within him drop. "But… but Chara was human!"

"..." Toriel shut her eyes, two fingers pressed between her eyes. "He appears to have forgotten this fact."

"I-it's not going to work, Mom! We have to stop him! Chara and I tried to get six more souls and it didn't work!"

"_What!?" _Her eyes snapped back open in utter shock. "Wh- Why would you do such a thing, Asriel!"

"I… er, well…" Asriel looked down, suddenly unable to look his mother in the eyes. "...We wanted to free everyone, so we came up with the plan together… But… I didn't want to kill more than the six we _had_ to!" He looked up again, tears in his eyes. "But if- but if Daddy declared war then- he's gonna kill _all_ of them, right? That's wrong! Why would he do that!"

"Because he is blinded by grief and rage… And because our subjects are full of monsters wishing for _easy_ solutions. And if that means forgetting that _my daughter_ was a human, then so be it." She sighed, putting her head in her hands. "What has happened today- I apologize, dear child, but I may need some time to… digest this information. You return and… the nature behind your demise."

"I-i- y-yeah…" Asriel nodded.

"...You are free to stay here if you wish, I will always love and support you, no matter what, this is simply… quite a lot, what you have told me."

"I-i mean, _yeah, _it's a lot for me, too!" He nodded again.

Toriel stood, leaving the room. Asriel heard the door of her bedroom open and shut. He burrowed under the floorboards again, re-emerging in his old room, the one he had stayed in while he and his parents vacationed in the Ruins.

It was exactly as he remembered leaving it.

But it felt… empty. Long abandoned.

Like something immaterial and necessary had been taken from it and lost long ago.


	3. Reincarnation

It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair at all!

He had made the proper choice, right? He had just wanted to free his people as prince, and do it without starting another war! Stopping Chara from killing those people was the right thing to do!

So why was he being punished for it!?

He had tried to avoid the war, only for Dad to declare it anyways! Mom had run away and left the kingdom entirely, or as much as she could! He was alive in a strange and unfamiliar body in a world where everyone had already mourned his death, for reasons he couldn't discern! And his best friend was still dead!

Why was he back? He had died! Dead people stay dead, right? As far as he could tell, no one else dead had ever come back to life, so why him? And why to this?

In any other situation this would have been a miracle. Your dead son's alive again! Hooray! His parents would reunite and the kingdom would rejoice!

But he lost his arms, he lost a Dreemurr's fire magic, he can't even feel the connection of magic flowing from his parents into himself! He hadn't even realized he had felt it until it was gone.

His body felt cold, and he was consciously aware at every waking moment of the lack of his own soulbeat.

This was all horribly twisted and wrong. His life was in ruins and tatters and he hated it.

What was he even doing here!? Was this penance for messing up somehow? Should he have stopped Chara from ever eating those stupid buttercups? But how was he meant to fix that now, he couldn't go back in time!

Was he meant to stop the war and reunite his parents and save everyone?

When he tried to talk to Dad, he just said this was what the kingdom wanted and he couldn't let them down!

He wouldn't even listen when Asriel told him this wasn't what he wanted!

He tried to coax Mom out of the Ruins but she says the monsters made their choice and she refuses to support it!

She won't even TRY to confront him!

Cowards, the both of them! And liars! They wouldn't listen to their own son even if he had come back from the grave!

He didn't understand. Why had this happened to him? What was he doing here?

He had tried to save everyone and he had saved no one. He was beyond useless.

He was supposed to be dead.

He burrowed back to his and Chara's old room, digging about for those gifts they had exchanged.

Had their birthday only been three days before their disastrous, terrible plan?

It felt like it had been three centuries.

He grabbed his locket, fumbling with it until it finally clicked open, revealing the smiling faces of his family of the past. He missed it so much. When everyone was so happy, and he felt like himself.

They may have been trapped Underground, but he didn't realize how good everything had been until it had all been ruined.

He had messed up badly and wished to return… but he just couldn't.

He couldn't.

He took out Chara's knife, the gift they had given to him, and angled it in the air. And then sliced.

Only when it was too late and his flower body was bisected did he realize the almost unbearable mistake he had made.

He had died. He had died. And he had gone to an unending void, a nightmarish abyss. And here he was dying again, banishing his consciousness back to that horrid place.

How long would he stay there this time!? Would he stay forever now!? He didn't want to stay there forever, he just wanted to see his family again!

He shouldn't have wasted this second chance, maybe he could've made it work, got his parents back together and adjusted to his new body but he'd made another mistake. He'd made such a terrible mistake.

He wanted to take it back! All of it! Take it all back!

I DON'T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!

* * *

He gasped as his eyes opened to harsh fluorescent light again.

"Run and get Doctor Alphys, Sans, and also bring back one of the meals we prepared!"

He blinked.

Wait. Wait.

Why was he in the lab again…?

He recognized Uncle Gaster's voice, but why did the words he was saying sound… so familiar?

He couldn't think about that! He couldn't stay here!

It was only once he tipped off the table and burrowed into the floor again did he realize: he wasn't dead.

But he had not survived his suicide attempt either.

Had Dad found him and brought him to Uncle Gaster to bring him back? Or had he…?

Had he actually found a way to turn back time…?

...Then maybe there was a reason he had come back after all!

Maybe he could fix things! If he could somehow go back to before he had died, then maybe he could convince Chara not to eat the buttercups!

Maybe he could convince everyone that they could all be happy Underground instead!

He burrowed to his father's garden, popping up from the ground with a gasp and glancing around. Sure enough, Asgore soon entered, watering can in tow.

Maybe he could fix things, but first he had to make sure everything really was turned back!

"Dad!"

Asgore stopped, looking around confused.

"Down here, it's me! Asriel! I'm back!"

He looked down, his expression becoming one of shock. He knelt down, but still towered above the small flower's form. "What… h… h-how? How did this happen?"

Flowey thought back to when he had woken up, and before that.

Yes… these were the words Dad had spoken the first time around, too.

He truly did not recognize Asriel.

He really had gone back in time!

A delighted grin spread across his face. "I don't know, but there's something I have to go fix now!"

"My son, what-"

He burrowed back to his room, grabbing the knife and severing his stem again, thinking as hard as he could about that birthday.

He wanted to go back, he wanted to go back, he had to warn them…

But every

Time

He tried

He just ended up back in that stupid lab!

He was starting to hate the sound of Gaster's voice.

He couldn't travel back to before his first death. What was the point of this stupid power then! There was nothing he could fix, the past was set in stone already!

...Unless.

Unless maybe…

Just maybe…

He could improve the present somehow…?


	4. Reunion

"Howdy!"

The ridiculously thick-furred rabbit monster smiled, though still her ears twitched nervously. "Er, hello there, sweetie. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, I'd like you help you!" The flower grinned cheerily, bouncing on its stem. "What's your name?"

"It's Angie, dear."

"Well, Angie! I'm Prince Asriel, and I'd like to help you change your mind about humans!"

Though Asriel did not notice it, Angie's smile disappeared.

"I know Dad declared war on humanity because my sister Chara and I were killed by them, and I know as well as the rest of us that we're all stuck down here because of them, heheh, but they're not all bad! Chara wasn't bad at all! She was human, and she wanted to help break the Barrier so all monsters could go free! And if she wanted to help us out, humans can't all be so terrible, right? And I don't think the war's a very good idea anyway, so if the guy you're trying to avenge doesn't really want to be avenged, you can… you can call it off, right? Heheh…"

Angie rolled her eyes, turning to leave.

"H-hey, wait, where are you going!" Asriel called after her.

"Look, kid, are you bored? Is this some kind of joke to you?"

"No, no, it really isn't! I swear I am the prince!"

"Asriel Dreemurr is dead. The king conducted a funeral service himself. Humans have done nothing but harass and oppress us, and wouldn't allow us back on the surface unless we _took_ it back- they've showed it again and again, they don't want to see hide nor hair of us up there."

"No! I swear! Chara wanted to share the surface w-with us!"

"Well… I suppose there are exceptions, but if humans didn't listen to our king, then I have my doubts they'd listen to a child… even if it were a human child." She sighed. "Look, dear, shouldn't you be in school anyways? Impersonating a dead prince is really disrespectful to his parents and his memory."

This time, Asriel didn't stop her as she tried to leave. He burrowed into the snow, appearing near the river.

"OH, COME ON!" With his vines, he lashed out at the nearby trees and slush. "I don't _want_ this! I never wanted this! I never asked for this! And no matter how many times I try, _nothing ever works!_"

He'd tried strategy after strategy to convince Asgore to stop the war, or to try and get Toriel to intercede and stop him, but it never, never worked! Neither would do as he asked because of one obstacle: the intense support the denizens of the Monster Kingdom had for other war! Asgore did not want to take away their hope, and Toriel knew it. And he hated it!

And every time he tried to convince the monsters in the kingdom that humanity wasn't all bad and that this war was unnecessary, none of them would listen to him! They wouldn't even believe that he was the prince, they always thought he was playing some cruel joke, with… varying degrees of annoyance and anger.

Why would none of them listen to him! Didn't they love him?

He hated it. He hated it!

"Tralala… Humans, monsters… Flowers."

He turned to see who had spoken, his face twisting in confusion. His outburst had been overheard!?

There was a boat drifting in the water, a hooded figure stood still as a statue above it, their face cast in shadow.

"Wh-who are you!"

"I am the Riverman… or am I the Riverwoman? It doesn't really matter…"

"W-were you spying on me? You're _really_ creepy!"

"Asriel."

He froze, eyes wide. This person… believed he really was Asriel? Had he met them before now?

Now that he thought about it, that melody they were humming sounded… familiar. Who _was_ this?

"It won't be your choice to change the river's course when it really counts, tralala… Perhaps for the best."

"What!? What do you mean! You mean nothing I do matters?" Asriel looked around, becoming bewildered when he realized the Riverperson was gone. "Hey! Where'd you go!" He glared, looking around again. They had completely vanished.

...He decided to burrow back into Snowdin. He didn't want to be near that creepy river anyway.

And it was when he was still lost in his own thoughts that he heard a more familiar voice. One he actually _could_ recognize.

"Hello, small flower! You appear quite down!"

Asriel looked up. "Wait, Papyrus? Is that you?"

"Nyeh? Have we met before? I do not remember meeting any flowery monsters!"

"I- well, er," he shrunk back in on himself. "I'm not a flower monster! Or, I wasn't when you met me last time… It's me, Asriel Dreemurr!"

"THE PRINCE ASRIEL!?" Papyrus' eyes boggled. "How did you get into a flower!? Can I get you out! Oh dear, do your parents know you're stuck like this!? Sans is really smart, maybe he can get you out of the flower!"

"No, no! I… Wait, could he really…?" Asriel's petals perked up slightly. He started to feel something he hadn't felt in a very long time: hope.

"I'm sure he can! He's got to do something to get out of the house, he's been spending all day poring over old journals that make my head spin! Come along, new old friend! I'll show you where our new house is!"

"New house? You mean… you live in Snowdin now?"

"Nyeh heh heh, indeed we do! I'll show you!"

He ran ahead, boots crunching in the snow. Asriel burrowed in and out of the ground, trailing behind, until at last they stopped at a large house, strung with glowing multicolored lights.

"What do you think, Prince Asriel?" Papyrus asked.

"I…" Asriel found he couldn't reply, feeling memories welling up in his mind once more.

* * *

He'd smelt something absolutely delightful from the kitchen, and had crept in to investigate, finding a freshly baked batch of gingerbread cookies. He'd reached out to try and steal one, only to find much larger hands batting his way.

"Asriel, my son, patience!" Toriel chided.

"Aw, Mom… But your baking's always the best, I couldn't help myself!" Asriel pleaded, making his eyes as big and irresistible as possible.

Toriel smiled softly. "Well, I may be swayed to allow you one before dinner…"

"Really? Th-"

"But!" She held up a finger for his silence, then continued. "You must take one to give your sister!"

Asriel nodded, "Thanks, Mommy!" and snagged two of the cookies, dashing back to his and Chara's shared bedroom.

He entered without knocking, and saw Chara sitting on her bed, brows creased in concentration. He sat next to her. "Chara, Mom made cookies."

She looked up. "Indeed?" Setting her work aside, she took a cookie, biting into it. She ponderously chewed, then nodded and swallowed. "Excellent work from her. As is always."

"Right!?" Asriel shoved his entire cookie in his mouth, savoring the taste. He opened his mouth to ask Chara a question.

"Chew before speaking, Asriel. I can hardly hear what you are saying."

He swallowed. "Can I see what you're working on!?"

She shifted nervously on the bed. "I… suppose." She dragged her project over her lap, revealing a half-made massive pink sweater.

"This is for Dad?"

"Well… To who else do you think 'Mr. Dad Guy' would refer?"

He chuckled. "I guess that's true! It looks really good, Chara!"

"Well… In all honesty I should have begun this undertaking earlier. It is coming along well but far too slow, I doubt it will be finished before-"

"Hey, it doesn't matter if it's a little late! Gyftmas is a new tradition for monsters, everyone's gonna get it a little wrong!"

"But I am the one who brought this tradition, should I not have it done properly so as to model it for others?"

"It's fine! Dad's not gonna be mad! He's gonna be happy you put so much time and thought into his gift!"

"...Do you really believe that?"

Asriel grinned. "Of course! You being here is gift enough!"

Chara laughed. "Of course you are the type to become cheesy, Asriel."

"Wh- I'm not cheesy!"

"Of course you are- and sentimental. You cried because Mom made your favorite pie last month."

"It was so good… _You_ ate almost all of Mom's chocolate pie and that thing was massive!"

Chara laughed again. "Thank you for the cookie, Asriel. Allow me to get back to work before your tears stain my yarn. Crybaby."


	5. Recognition

"SAAAAAANS! ARE YOU UP THERE!?"

Papyrus' deafening shout resounded through the house, causing Sans to drop his pencil. His brother was louder and more punctual than any alarm clock Sans had ever owned, which was good. He'd been sleeping in later and later each day since getting started on Gaster's work- first dedicating his time to the DT experiments, and now that those had been cancelled, working to make sense of the stack of notebooks Gaster had left behind.

Looking further into them confirmed his suspicions, that these had something to do with time travel, and checking it out, the math _did_ seem to make sense. But why had Gaster been working on time travel? This seemed too dedicated to be a project of pure curiosity.

"SAAAAAAANS!"

"comin', pap!" he called back down, slipping the pencil between the pages of the notebook to mark his place and flipping it shut, tossing it back on the pile of notebooks in the corner of his room. Come to think of it, his room wasn't really the neatest, nor the most fitting workspace, and his mattress was no replacement for a proper desk. Hadn't this house come with a basement? Perhaps he would see if he couldn't set something up down there.

He got up, onto the balcony and leaned over the railing, his trademark lazy grin on his face. "yeah, pap? what's up?"

"We have a guest visiting!" Papyrus declared, then gesturing to a… a golden flower, looking slightly annoyed at having to be carried in Papyrus' boot. "You remember the Prince Asriel!"

Confusion flashed across Sans' soul, but he didn't let his expression show it. He knew that Papyrus seemed slow compared to most, but Papyrus and Sans had both _met_ Asriel Dreemurr before now, both seen him face to face. The little golden flower looked nothing like the prince… Mainly because it was a little golden flower.

But he knew, even if Papyrus wasn't as intelligent as himself, he wasn't _that_ stupid. Which must mean there was more to this than met the eye, hm?

He took his time heading down the stairs. "yeah. yeah, i do remember," slowly nodding and examining the flower closely. It seems to whither under his scrutinizing glare, but still peered out hopefully from under its petals. Looking a bit closer… though the body was quite obviously different, the _face_ still plainly possessed Dreemurr qualities- wide eyes, snout, fangs peeping out from the line of the mouth. And the look in that flower's eyes, he definitely recognized Sans, and wanted Sans to recognize him.

He was desperate. Sans had grown more than familiar with the expression of desperation.

He stopped in front of the flower and stuck out his hand. "heh, good ta see ya again, _bud._"

Asriel ignored the offered hand and narrowed his eyes at Sans, and when he spoke, his voice was exactly the same. As unbelievable as Papyrus' claim was, it seemed exactly right. "W-was that a _pun!? _A plant pun!?"

"you bet it was. or should i 'leaf' those to the expert here?"

Asriel glared at him.

"Sans, you are being quite insensitive to the prince!" Papyrus scolded. "He is quite distressed by his new flowery body, and you are not helping!" Papyrus' eye-sockets lit up. "Actually! That is why I wished to call you down here! You are quite intelligent, and Asriel would like to no longer be stuck in a flower. Is there are method in your sciencing ways you can get him out of the flower?"

"Hmmmmmm… don't think i can, sorry pap. didn't really have any 'separate fluffy goats from flowers' classes."

"Oh… That is a shame." Papyrus turned back to Asriel. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to make your new flowery experience as comfortable for you as possible!"

Asriel looked disappointed. "I guess…"

Sans continued watching the small flower out of the corner of his eye socket.

The prince had somehow come back to life. Why? Had he, instead of dying, somehow transformed into a ghost monster, possessed a flower as his new body, and then… forgotten about it? That didn't feel right. He had never heard of monsters suddenly changing species or form before…

Except when they took a human's soul, and that's precisely what Asriel had did. But usually when that happened, a monster resembled a larger and more intimidating version of their original form- there weren't really many records at all, but becoming a tiny golden flower seemed ridiculous.

Maybe fusing souls with a human had allowed Asriel's own soul to persist… storing itself in the nearest object? But flowers hadn't started growing in the Underground, specifically the king's garden, until _after_ Asriel's death. Why had it waited so long to return?

...If Asriel could miraculously return, could Gaster somehow?

Wait, Gaster…

He had seen a golden flower outside the king's gardens, actually. In Gaster's lab.

Had Gaster done this somehow? The dt experiments?

They had woken up the amalgamates… But what made the Prince Asriel so different?

* * *

"So, Asriel!"

"Yes?"

"You appear quite down!" Papyrus placed him on a table, sitting himself down in a chair so they were on more equal level. "Is this better? You are now higher up!"

Asriel looked sullen. The puns and wordplay of the skeleton brothers was reminding him of Chara and Mom, making him uncomfortable. Causing further memories of times gone by to well up again.

"Oh- oh no! Did I do something wrong?" Papyrus fretted.

"Huh? Uh… No." He shook his head. "No, you haven't done anything wrong. But the puns are getting kind of _old._"

"Sans! Stop making puns!"

"mmkay. 'm heading back up to my room, 'kay?"

"What- Sans, you really should not be up there all the time! It cannot be healthy to be trapped in a bedroom or a stuffy lab all day!"

"heh, i'll think about it." He started back upstairs.

Papyrus sighed exasperatedly, placing his hands on his hips and turning back to Flowey. "Now then, now that my brother is out of the way, I know that this place is very unfamiliar to you! And that this body is even more unfamiliar to you! So! I would like to ask you! Is there anything we can do which may make this situation more familiar to you! Perhaps we can bring you to King Asgore? Or bring King Asgore here?"

"No, no! You don't have to do that!" In all honesty, since Dad had made it clear he wouldn't call off the war, Asriel had been avoiding him mostly. He didn't feel love for him, but he thought he felt the stirrings of… something. Confusion? Anger?

"Well then, is there anything else I might assist with?"

"Hm…" Asriel frowned, his mind drifting back to the lights outside. His mouth began to water at memories. When was the last time he had eaten? Since discovering time worked differently for him, he'd started losing track of it entirely… he thought it was maybe days.

"Actually… could you cook something?"

"Nyeh?" Papyrus frowned. "Well… I suppose I could try! What would you like?"

"Cookies, maybe?"

Papyrus tilted his head in thought, then grinned and scooped Asriel in his boot up. "I have never cooked cookies before! But I am very great at everything I do, and cookies cannot be very hard to make! Come, let us gather ingredients and a recipe!"


	6. Buttercups

"Chara, look what I found!" He ran through the knee-high murky water of Waterfall's dump, carefully avoiding what bits of trash he could trip over or cut himself on. Chara was bent over a dented cooler, her deft hands snatching out its contents and shoving them in her pockets. Asriel smirked as he saw the treasure Chara had found- chocolate, naturally.

Chara looked up, brushing her hair back out of her eyes. "Yes? What would that be?"

Asriel held out the book to her. She took it, flipping carefully through the pages.

"It's a cookbook! And it looks like we can maybe salvage it? The water didn't destroy _all_ the pages, see?"

Chara frowned, eyes skimming the recipes. "The chocolate cake recipe appears long gone… oh." She smiled.

"Oh? What oh?"

She turned the book around to show Asriel. "It contains a butterscotch-cinnamon pie recipe."

Asriel's expression lit up. "We can surprise Mom and Dad with it! They'll be so impressed if we make it even better than Mom's recipe!"

She handed the book back to Asriel, turning back to the dump's exit. "Come along then, we must know what ingredients to collect first."

* * *

Asriel was growing frustrated.

Baking was different from cooking. Baking required far more precision than cooking. Whilst cooking had more room for improvisation, if the measurements of baking were incorrect, the food would come out tasting terrible.

Probably nothing as catastrophic as…

…As the last time he had tried making something.

But he knew there was no way he'd get Papyrus to miraculously remake his mom's cooking. All he hoped was for the process of helping to be somewhat familiar.

It was not.

"Prince Asriel, could you help me mix this?" Papyrus asked, handing a big bowl and whisk to the flower.

Asriel took them, and promptly dropped both. Flour and egg and butter spilled across the floor.

Right. Vines weren't hands. He no longer had large palms or clawed fingers anymore.

He had to hold things in a _totally different way_ now. Instead of finding familiarity, all that happened was the differences of his new body were being pointed out to him. Over and over in the worst ways.

"Sorry," he said flatly. He didn't feel particularly sorry, just _frustrated. _

"It is of no concern, my flowery friend!" Papyrus quipped, "There are cleaning supplies always at hand!" He dropped the bowl and whisk in the skin, then took a sponge and cleaning fluid, getting to work on the spillage. "Do you think you could clean the bowl and whisky thing again?"

Asriel reached out his vines hooking them around the edge of the sink, dragging the boot he was in slowly across the counter, probably getting mud and dirt all over it. He didn't really care anymore- after failing to convince anyone to stop the war or that humans could be good, he just wanted to be able to do _something_ right. And he was rapidly failing at this, even.

He tried to turn on the faucet, then pick up a sponge and the bowl, but he couldn't get a good grip on the bowl with these _STUPID VINES!_

After dropping it for the hundredth time, he let out a yell of pure frustration, hurling it towards the wall.

Papyrus' head snapped up. "Are you alright, Asriel!?"

"...It's fine, I can fix it," Asriel said. Papyrus wasn't mad? So weird.

"No need to trouble yourself! It can wait!" Papyrus gathered up the broken fragments of the bowl. "We have other bowls! Though… this was the biggest, nyeh heh… It might be a bit more difficult now…"

"everythin' alright in here…?"

Asriel looked to see Sans leaning against the wall, hands in pockets. He hadn't heard the skeleton come down.

"...I dropped a bowl and it broke," Asriel said, lamely. He saw Sans nodding slowly, and knew immediately that the skeleton knew he was lying.

Urgh… These brothers were so lame. Why had he cared about them when he'd been alive? Why had he agreed to do even this again…?

He and Papyrus returned to attempting to bake the cookies. Rather soon, Asriel learned Papyrus was not as good in the kitchen as he claimed, Sans particularly having to step in when Papyrus tried to turn the oven too high in an attempt to get the cookies to bake faster.

When they came out, they looked misshapen and frankly inedible. Asriel glowered down at them. "They look like crap."

"Nonsense! We worked extremely hard on them and made them with love! They will taste fantastic!" Papyrus proclaimed.

Asriel felt a sick feeling within himself at the mention of 'love'. He wanted to leave this place.

"Why don't you try some?" Papyrus asked his brother.

"uh... sure, bro." He hesitantly popped one into his mouth, chewing uncertainly, and made an… interesting expression.

"Well?" Papyrus asked, expression wide and hopeful.

Sans quickly fixed his expression, grinning. "s'... real great, bro, i'm full after one bite."

Papyrus beamed. "That's fantastic! Asriel, would you like to try one?"

"Why don't _you_ eat it?" Asriel snorted.

"I don't want to deny my brother and friend of this excellent fair!"

Asriel looked balefully at the plate of cookies, then thought what the heck. And bit down on it.

He started coughing.

* * *

"Daddy! We have something for you! This way!"

Asriel led his father to the dining table, where Chara was waiting with the slice of pie.

"Ohoho, what have we here? Did your mother help you with this?" Asgore laughed.

"Nope! We made it all by ourselves!"

"We found a recipe within a book from Waterfall, and wished to surprise you," explained Chara.

"Tori, dear, come over here!" Asgore called. "Look what the children have made!"

Toriel stepped into the room, gasping with surprise when she saw it. "I thought I had smelled something delightful! You made this all by yourselves?"

Asriel nodded. She stepped over to them both and hugged them.

"I am very proud of you both, and appreciative… However, the kitchen can be quite dangerous. I request you tell me next time, so that I may supervise you both."

"But Mommy, it turned out just fine! Right, Daddy? It tastes great, right?"

"I can hardly tell _you,_ son, I have yet to taste it! But I am certain it is wonderful!"

"Still, one of you could cut or burn yourself! I am only concerned for your safety!" Toriel chided. She looked back at Asgore. "Hold off a moment, Gorey, I wish to take a picture- my children's first time in the kitchen and I have almost _missed_ it!"

"Very well, dear, but the taste is very tempting," Asgore chuckled as Toriel rushed out of the room.

But soon, she had returned and snapped a photo of the pie. Asgore took a seat at the table and lifted a forkful to his mouth as Chara and Asriel waited with baited breath. He proclaimed the dish as delicious, and Chara and Asriel were delighted. Toriel was grinning from ear to ear.

But not even a half hour later, the mood was much more somber. Asgore began feeling unwell, and retired to his room to rest. When symptoms began to worsen, Toriel called for a doctor and sat by his side as the doctor made their examination.

Asriel was confused and worried, everything had been going so well, right? And suddenly his Dad was _really_ sick… after eating _his_ pie.

It had to be his fault, right?

Chara had been looking around Dad's books for most of the day, and finally beckoned Asriel over. "It was the buttercups. It says here what symptoms they cause…"

Asriel felt his heart sink. "So it really _was_ our fault…"

Chara quietly shut the book. "...In a sense. Yes. _But._ We are children. Children make mistakes. We now have this knowledge for next time, so we might avoid this same outcome, do we not?"

"I still feel so horrible, though! We should've asked Mom for help! We weren't ready at all!"

"We should have but did not. Mistakes are how we _learn,_ Asriel. Is that not what Mom told us?"

"I… I guess you're right…" Asriel rubbed the tears off his face.

"I am certain Dad will be fine."

"Are you sure…?"

"Positive." Chara sat closer to Asriel, drawing him into a hug, rubbing their hand all up and down his spine as he cried into her shoulder.


End file.
